Mother Teresa, atheist

(Liberal Eagle's thoughts about Mother Teresa's "atheism")
I hate to say it but I think the “Liberal Eagle” is a little naïve in his understanding of religious people.
Firstly, the idea that we are bastions of certainty is laughable. The universe is still "cold and unwelcoming" at times, its not as if faith is, or should be, used as a blanket to shield us from the chilling realities of the world. Injustice happens, governments fail, our best intentions are often selfish, and one man’s solution is another’s power play. Further, atheistic thoughts are a common occurrence for people of faith. As we attempt to peer through the great cloud of unknowing and gaze upon the very throne of God we realize the cloud is too thick and the air up there is too thin. We have dark nights of the soul. We shout out there is no God! There is no justice! Religion is the deadening force of ancient autocrats! Yet, these things do not make us believe less, no they are simply part of the journey of faith. As a friend of mine once wrote “the opposite of faith is certainty.” Those that are certain, who rely on some foundation other than trust, be it culturally ingrained religious values, systematic faith statements, or emotional experience, are not as far along in their journey as they would like to claim. It is in fact often times the atheist who is the more faithful to God than the overconfident theist.
Secondly, Liberal Eagle’s statement that an atheist Teresa was acting “with no expectation that she'd actually ever get a thing out of it” is crass on several levels. He undercuts his own experience of reality. Do atheists not feel a core connection with other humans? Can they not project the I-into-the-thou? Can they not see themselves in the gutters of Calcutta? Have they no empathy? Of course they do, of course he does. Why else would Liberal Eagle critique the Bush Administration, except because of how the President’s actions have adversely harmed people! Liberal Eagle’s view also undersells the intentions of religious folk. We do not act altruistically out of want of reward, but out of esteem and thanksgiving for the breath in our bodies and the faith in our hearts.
Peace,
Chris